Moon Child: A Gerudo Legend
by cade
Summary: A tale of bonds between mothers and daughters. Features original characters, might not be everyone's cup of tea.


Moon Child: A Gerudo Legend  
by cade  
  
Rating: PG13 for language and imagery  
  
*note* I began fiddling with this idea of creating a site dedicated to the myths of each of the different races in LOZ awhile ago. It was a good idea but it flopped. Here is on other tales that never quite made it but I didn't have the heart to delete it. No Ganon, Link, or Zelda here. Just original stuff.  
And this story deals with an immaculate conception type thing. So if that offends someone's religious beliefs, I am sorry. I had no intent to. :-)  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
A long time ago, in the desert there lived a branch of our people called the Jackal Breed. They were Gerudo of course, but they shunned the world and society. They lived the nomad life of our ancestors, roaming the wasteland. It was rumored they spoke to the sand itself, and it shifted to their will...Who knows for sure  
  
Now among these people lived a woman named Ayesha-which means fortunate. But in child bearing she was most unlucky. All females her age had at least one or two children. Ayesha had none, and she began to feel like less of a woman because of it.  
  
Every two or three months, she'd make her way to Hyrule Town or Kakariko Village. Ayesha was beautiful-as are all our females-and she had no problems finding mates among the Hylian and Shiekah men there. Ayesha would stay with them for awhile, then disappear back into the desert.  
  
But no seed would take root in her womb. Ayesha began to worry that she was as barren as the desert.  
Of the three Ways we have-Thief, Warrior and Artisan, Ayesha was a warrior. Many invaders fell to the blows of her mace, or the bite of her arrows. Yet as time went on, her child yearning deepened and she became depressed. Battle no longer excited her; she could hardly summon the will to lift a weapon.  
Her sisters lost patience with her, refusing to listen to Ayesha's mournful talk. Soon she became lonely and wandered off into the wasteland alone, and without hardly any provisions or water.  
  
After several days, she came to the Colossus. Ayesha climbed up it to watch the sky. The moon was a bright sliver of white, it's light painted the desert sand gold. This sight cheered Ayesha. The moon looked so friendly, like a smile in the sky, inviting Ayesha to unburden her troubles. Ayesha spoke to the moon, she told it her problems and how badly she wanted a child of her own.  
  
In the Blessed Land, great Farore-the Creatress of Life- was watching. She knew Ayesha had a good spirit, so she talked to her through the moon.  
  
At first Ayesha thought she was going mad, hearing the moon talk. But Farore reassured her, and told her everything was going to be all right. In fact, Ayesha's dearest dream was about to come true.  
A ray of pure silver moonlight fell upon Ayesha, and through Farore's awesome magic, she was gifted with a child.  
  
As the moon waxed round and full, so did Ayesha. Soon her child was ready to be born.  
Something was wrong though. When the baby was born, the midwives were silent as if afraid to speak. Fearing the worst, Ayesha asked for her baby, but the midwives told her it was better if she didn't see her. They doubted the child would live.  
  
Ayesha believed in the grace of Farore, so she asked for her daughter again. When she was handed to Ayesha, it was obvious what was wrong. The girl child's skin and hair were as white as the receiving blanket she was wrapped in. As white as the moon. Her hazy eyes were red.  
  
Ayesha just laughed. Of course the girl would live. Her strange albino coloring was just a mark of Farore's favor. In honor of her moonlit conception, Ayesha named her daughter Candra, which of course mean moon   
  
Growing up, Candra's main problem was sunlight. The desert is harsh on naturally dark Gerudo skin so imagine what it was like for her! Ayesha was constantly making herbal politics to protect Candra from sunburn and always worrying about her delicate eyes. Eventually Candra became nocturnal. She had a natural connection with the moon, so she really didn't miss the day. The other children were not sure what to make of her. Some called her freak while others ignored her completely. Ayesha worried that her daughter was missing out on a normal life, but when asked, Candra said she was happy.  
  
The moon spoke to her, Candra said. It taught her things. About the stars and the tide and the magic all women posses. As she grew older, the moon revealed more. Soon Candra could call upon the rain and make the night scented moonflowers bloom in the desert. Her touch could heal flesh and earth, and because of this she was seen as a holy woman. Many people, even Hylians, Sheikah, and the rest would come to beg an audience with her.  
  
Outside of the desert, things were not good. Civil wars pitted race against race. Each believing the other had something more, something they didn't deserve. By and By, the Hylians prepared a march on Gerudo Valley. The Hylian soldiers had been specially trained and equipped to withstand the desert. They used the old eastern pass and began their descent on the valley.  
  
We are Hyrule's finest warriors, the bearers of Farore's wrath. But we are few, not even a quarter of the Hylian population. There were too many to fight on our own ground. At this time, our future king was yet a babe and many other children made up our number. To protect them, the elders hid them away in the Spirit Temple, while the young and strong prepared for battle.  
  
Watching this, Candra began to think hard. She was not a Thief, Warrior or Artisan, but a little of each. And more. Ideas came quickly to her and within an hour she had a plan. Perhaps not the most masterful of strategies, but better than death.  
  
At dawn, under Candra's direction, a small band of Gerudo warriors, maybe twenty or so, moved west. Toward the sea. They were a days march ahead of the Hylian army. Baiting them, leading them away from the abandoned fortress and the Colossus. The Hylians were closing ranks quickly. Candra suffered under the sun, but remained strong. Ayesha was beside her daughter constantly.  
In a week's time, they reached the sea to make the last stand. Neither the Gerudo's nor the Hylians had given an inch. Both armies were prepared to fight and prepared to die on the shore of the Western Sea. By this time, Candra was badly sun burned and she was nearly blind from the light. It was clear she could not last much longer.  
  
As night fell, the tide came in low; the Gerudo slipped into position and waited for the enemy army. The moon rose and the Hylians came charging down the dunes upon them, torches held aloft. Arrows sang through the air, battle cries were shouted and Candra gave her comrades the signal to move.  
  
On their lighter and faster desert horses, the Gerudo warriors scattered past the confused Hylians, leaving Candra alone on the beach. She raised her arms to the moon and the ocean obeyed her. The tide swelled up furiously. It engulfed the shore. Each wave came in larger than the last until there was no one left on the beach. Except for Gerudos.  
  
The water receded calmly, leaving behind bits of armor instead of seashells. Ayesha ran up and down the beach. Calling for Candra. All the Gerudo women took up the call, searching for the albino girl. Ayesha dropped to the wet sand, broken hearted by the loss of her daughter. It seemed that Candra had been taken with the Hylians to lie in the sea.  
  
The victory was forgotten the next day as the remainders of the Gerudo company marched back to the fortress. Ayesha was disconsolate.  
  
Life came back to normal at the fortress. The Hylians pressed no further attack. Candra was mourned formally and her memory was given a place of honor in the Spirit Temple. Ayesha grieved deeply. Every full moon she'd sit outside, remembering her daughter. One night, she saw someone coming across the desert. The figure seemed familiar, and when Ayesha looked closer, she saw it was Candra.  
  
She had survived the sea and the desert. The moon guided her home, she said. There was a wonderful celebration then, both for the victory over the Hylians and Candra's return. Ayesha was speechless, all she could do was hold her daughter and cry for joy. The child she had once despaired of ever having, had come home to her.   
  
Candra lived a long life full of miracles. Eventually she became the first wife of Ammon Dragmire (great great great grandfather of Ganondorf, but Ammon was a good man) and had several children. All were amber eyed and as dark as deku berries.  
  
So that is the story of Candra, our blessed ancestress. May we never forget her tale, or the bond between mother and daughter. The bond that holds us together as Gerudo.  
  



End file.
